Emily Pennington was a wealthy, young woman who was travelling West to find a better climate in hope that she would get well from an advanced terminal illness. She was in love with Blake McCall, whose past with the Cartwrights was not a friendly one. After realizing her fiance was more concerned of wealth than her wellfare, Emily fell in love with Hoss Cartwright, who took care of her until she went back to California, when she found out that her illness could not be treated and she would eventually die from it.